This picture was taken from a location looking down onto Loch Leven, but it was not the reason I was out on a very cold November morning.

Loch Leven, two in Scotland, is a 14 km long narrow sea loch in the Glencoe area surrounded by several scenic peaks. I'd started well before dawn and travelled to a spot I know well at the head of the loch, hoping for some low-lying mist, mountain reflections in still water and, if I was to be lucky, maybe some warm colour in the sky as the sun rose behind me. In the end, with a moderate breeze rippling the water and full cloud cover, I had none of those, and after waiting until the breakfast call was too strong to ignore anymore, I packed up and headed back to the warmth of my accommodation. On the way, though, the clouds started to break, so I quickly diverted to an elevated location, which, in good weather, afforded magnificent views down the length of the loch.

Having set up my tripod, the clouds quickly closed again, rendering the view down the loch less than inspiring. Hoping against the reason for a break in the clouds and walking around stamping my feet to keep warm, thinking again about breakfast, I looked behind me just as the sun broke through the cloud and lit up the bracken-covered hillside, turning it a vivid golden bronze. Luckily, I was able to just swing the camera around on the tripod and get a couple of shots before the cloud once again closed up. It's not the shot I'd planned for, but sometimes you just have to make the effort and get out there in order to get lucky.